Chapter 838: A Cup of Tea
(This PS was also added by the system, it has nothing to do with me...)
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Old Master Tang looked into his eyes and said, "Even if he taught an emperor, a pope, he still wouldn't be qualified?"
Chen Changsheng replied calmly, "Since one has become an emperor and the other a pope, why not let them do it themselves."
The young eagle had already left the nest and begun learning to fly; the sapling had grown sturdy and no longer feared wind and rain. So they should be allowed to grow freely. Only then could they become mighty eagles soaring through the sky, only then could they rise to the heavens and receive more rain, dew, and sunlight.
"That old temple in Xining Town—all the books were given to me, everything else was left to my senior brother. No matter how great the family legacy, it must eventually be passed down to the younger generation."
Chen Changsheng continued, "Besides, this world is not just my master's personal household."
Old Master Tang said nothing.
The steward of the old residence came from somewhere, swiftly clearing the bowls and plates from the table without making a sound.
Soon, a teapot and two cups appeared on the table, but the tea in the pot had not been poured into the cups.
Chen Changsheng formally bowed to Old Master Tang as a junior, then, without waiting for a response, walked over and sat down at the table himself.
He lifted the teapot, filled the cup in front of Old Master Tang, then filled his own cup.
He felt as if he had returned to those days, back to the stone table in the Hundred Herbs Garden. The last traces of tension vanished, and he truly calmed down.
Old Master Tang clearly sensed the shift in his mood and revealed a look of appreciation.
"I don't like the term 'family empire' either," he said to Chen Changsheng. "But do you think you are qualified and capable of governing the world now?"
To govern was to heal, and also to rule.
Chen Changsheng said, "I believe my senior brother has that ability. As for me, I am still learning."
Old Master Tang was silent for a long time, then suddenly asked, "When you first walked into the old residence, what was your initial impression?"
Chen Changsheng thought carefully and replied, "It was more ordinary than I imagined. Even the plaques on the door felt deliberately ordinary, as if trying too hard to seem unremarkable."
For ordinary families, even for renowned and prestigious clans, the plaques on the Tang family's old residence doors were supreme honors. But for the Tang family, these honors felt forced. They didn't need them; in fact, they diluted the Tang family's mystique. In Chen Changsheng's words, it made them seem ordinary.
Old Master Tang said, "Because the old residence is, in fact, an ordinary courtyard. What makes it extraordinary is that every generation of the Tang family's patriarchs has lived here."
Chen Changsheng understood the old master's meaning.
Many believed Old Master Tang's mystique came from never having fought anyone, from the Tang family's terrifying reputation that left no one daring to show him the slightest disrespect. His true cultivation level might not be as fearsome as legend claimed.
But what Old Master Tang said to Chen Changsheng today was very clear.
The reason the Tang family was so fearsome was precisely because every generation of its patriarchs was powerful, including the old master himself.
Chen Changsheng said, "But your willingness to see me in the old residence shows that you are at least willing to hear a few words from me."
Old Master Tang replied, "I haven't seen outsiders in many years. You are the fifth outsider I have received in this old residence during all that time."
Chen Changsheng knew that among those five, Su Li and Wang Po were certainly included. He just wondered if Mo Yu had met Old Master Tang when she came to Wenshui back then. If not, who were the other two?
"Xu Yourong," Old Master Tang said. "I have a good relationship with her. The main reason I agreed to see you today is that I was very curious about what the person she likes is really like."
This time, Chen Changsheng was genuinely surprised. He had only learned last night that Xu Yourong had come to Wenshui specifically to treat the eldest master of the Tang family before entering her final seclusion. He hadn't expected there to be such a connection between her and the Tang family. Puzzled, he thought to himself: although Xu Yourong was the Southern Saintess and had enough status to converse with Old Master Tang, there was an age gap of countless years between them, with no apparent common ground. Why would the old master say they had a good relationship?
Old Master Tang said, "There are countless kinds of relationships in this world—friendship, kinship, comradery, commercial alliances... Each has its own inconveniences and entanglements, each filled with hypocrisy or compromise. Only one kind of relationship is the most genuine and simple, allowing you to clearly see the other's thoughts without too much mental effort."
Chen Changsheng asked respectfully, "What kind of relationship is that?"
Old Master Tang set down his teacup and lightly tapped the table twice. "A card-playing partner."
Chen Changsheng was stunned for a long time.
Only then did he notice that the table in front of Old Master Tang was not an ordinary dining table. It was square, made of the most precious and hard iron pear wood, its surface extremely smooth. But if you looked closely, you could see many fine, dense marks, likely worn into it over years by some hard objects. Then he discovered that each of the table's four sides concealed a flat, small box—were these for storing banknotes and copper coins?
So this was a card table.
Old Master Tang had played cards on this table for who knows how many centuries, changing partners countless times.
At some point, he had gained a new card partner.
A young girl from Nanxi Zhai.
"Yourong likes to play cards?" Chen Changsheng found it hard to imagine.
"Not only does she like it, she's exceptionally good at it. Even I can't outthink her. I've considered many times whether I should call Po'er back."
Old Master Tang's gaze was like the old well in the courtyard—calm and unruffled, yet unfathomably deep. "But it's clear you don't like playing cards, and you're certainly not good at it. So, I suggest you never sit down at the table in the first place."
With that, he picked up his teacup, paid no attention to whether the tea was hot or cold, and slowly drank.
Raising the cup was a signal to see the guest out. Drinking half the tea meant the guest should take the hint and leave.
Chen Changsheng didn't see it that way.
He had read through the Daoist canon, knew astronomy and geography, and countless sword techniques—but he had never learned how to write the character for "difficulty."
He looked at Old Master Tang and said, "You may not truly know what I want to say."
Old Master Tang said nothing more.
No matter how fierce the wind howled, how could ripples rise at the bottom of an ancient well?
If Old Master Tang didn't want to listen, who could force him?
"You drank my tea," Chen Changsheng said.
Old Master Tang replied, "So what? Besides, this is my tea."
Chen Changsheng said, "Back in the old temple in Xining, it was always my senior brother who brewed and served the tea. Over the years, I have only ever poured tea for one person."
Old Master Tang showed some interest and asked, "Who?"
Chen Changsheng thought of those nights in the Hundred Herbs Garden, his emotions complicated, and said, "Her Majesty the Empress."